It's Never Easy
by GwenOwenforever
Summary: Gwen and Owen's relationship starts off spectacularly. Well...as spectacularly as it can with a job like Torchwood and the fact that Rhys is still in the picture... Rated M for obvious reasons.


**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

**A/N:** I know, another Gwen and Owen one! I promise there'll be a different type of story soon. I have an idea for a Glee story on the way!

"Jack we have to save him." Owen shouted.

He lunged at the alien in front of him. It was a colourless creature that could mould itself into any shape. Any living creature that touched it was slowly absorbed.

It currently had hold of a middle aged man by the neck. It looked as if it was pouring itself into his open mouth. The man's eyes were wide with fear and he tried to breath but every time he did, he swallowed more of the alien. He couldn't move out of the tight grip it had on him and he could feel himself disappearing into some kind of thick, cold liquid.

Jack grabbed Owen back as he jumped.

"Touch that thing and you'll be absorbed too." Jack told him. Owen pulled out his gun and Jack shook his head. "Bullets won't harm it."

"We can't just stand here." Owen protested.

"Jack, there must be something we can do." Gwen's voice said from behind them.

"I'm sorry. It's too late." Jack said sadly.

Owen looked back at the man. His eyes were like glass and his skin had turned a deadly shade of white. He watched as the man's face disappeared into the alien's stomach.

As Jack threw the portable cell towards the escaping alien, Owen looked at the eight year old girl cradled in Gwen's arms. Gwen was trying her hardest to comfort the sobbing girl who'd just witnessed her own father's death. He could tell it was getting to Gwen. There were tears in her own eyes as she rocked the girl back and forth.

"Fuck." Owen growled as he kicked over a stool.

If only they'd arrived a few seconds earlier, they would have been able to stop it. If only the alien hadn't shown up in someone's house. Owen's head was filled with 'if only's' as he took his frustration out on the stools left standing.

Later on and back at the Hub, the team were sat in the boardroom with Jack standing at the head of the table. The little girl had been handed over to social services and taken into a care home.

"Owen, I know it's hard but you can't afford to get emotionally attached to a case. It could put you and possibly others in danger." Jack said.

"Do you really? Do you really know how hard it is? Well, I'll tell you something. I knew that little girl." Owen said as he stood up.

"What?" Jack frowned.

"I knew her. She was three years old at the time. I was working at the Cardiff Infirmary and her mum was brought in after a car accident. She was one of my patients. Her injuries...there was nothing I could do, I couldn't save her. I had to stand and watch her and her dad break down as I told them that she'd gone. That little girl's father was the only family she had left. So yeah, sorry for trying to save a little girl's heart from breaking." Owen spat.

The rest of the team watched as he stormed out of the Hub. They turned to look at Jack who was staring, guilty, after him.

Hours later, Gwen and Tosh were sat at their computers, Jack was in his office and Ianto was in the Torchwood Archives. None of them had said a word since Owen's departure.

"Owen's not answering his phone." Jack sighed finally as he stood in the doorway of his office.

"Let me try." Gwen said.

"He's not answering Gwen." Jack repeated.

"I know. Just let me try ok." She insisted and walked out of earshot of the others.

Ever since their affair, Gwen and Owen had both opened up to each other. When things got tough for one of them, they'd always find comfort in the other.

She tried calling him but he wouldn't pick up. On her fifth time trying, it went straight to answer phone.

"Any luck?" Jack asked as she returned to her station.

She shook her head and sighed.

"He's turned his phone off." She told him.

"I'm going to his flat." Jack said as he grabbed his coat.

"What if he's not there?" Tosh asked.

"I'll walk around town until I find him. He needs to know it wasn't his fault. He tried his best for both of them but there was nothing he could do." Jack explained.

The girls waited anxiously for what seemed like days until they heard a beeping from their comms.

"Jack, have you found him?" Gwen asked anxiously as she pressed the button on her communications device.

"I can't find him anywhere. He's not at his apartment or any of his usual spots. I was just checking to see if he'd gone back to the Hub." Jack informed them.

"No he's not come back." Tosh told him.

"Jack, I'm coming to help you look for him." Gwen said.

The tone of her voice told Jack there was no point arguing.

After a few more hours searching and no results, Jack turned to Gwen.

"Look, it's late. He's probably gone home now. You should go home too. I'll let you know if I find him." Jack promised.

She nodded and made her way back to her car, trying Owen's phone one last time before driving off.

Rhys was waiting up for her when she returned.

"Hey lovely. You ok?" He asked noticing the anxious expression on her face.

"Yeah just...bad day at work that's all." She mumbled, plopping down on the sofa next to him.

He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and wrapped an arm around her.

"Want to talk about it?" He asked.

"No, no it's fine." She sighed. "Come on, let's go to bed."

"I'll be with you in a minute, I've just got to clean the dishes." He told her.

"Can't you leave them until tomorrow?" She smiled.

"They're from last night. I can't leave them any longer, you know what I'm like." He chuckled.

"Ok, I'll see you in a minute." She nodded and went to get changed. Dressed in her black nightie, she was just about to slip into bed when a knock sounded from the door. "I'll get it." She called to Rhys.

She padded out into the hallway and opened the front door.

"Hey Gwen. Just thought I'd stop by for a while, you know."

Owen stood on the other side smirking at her. Gwen could smell the booze on his breath from miles away. She went into a quick state of panic as she heard Rhys bumbling around the kitchen and pushed Owen out into the hallway as he tried to come in.

Following him out, she closed the door behind them. All of a sudden her panic disappeared and relief set in. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

"Oh God." She whispered. Her mood changed again, this time to anger. Pulling away, she hit him hard on the chest. "Where the hell have you been? We've been out looking for you for hours. Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"We'll get to that later." He shrugged and grabbed her around the waist. "I see you're dressed for the occasion."

She tried to push him away as he crushed her to his chest and started trailing kisses along her jaw.

"Owen, stop it. Rhys might see us." She protested.

His grip on her tightened and his lips brushed against hers.

"So?" He smirked.

Gwen's protests stopped as Owen's hands wandered over her sides. She risked giving him a brief but passionate kiss before she pushed him hard enough to break his hold on her.

"Owen, go home. You need to sober yourself up and deal with this situation properly." She told him. "Wait here, I'll call you a cab. Go home, have some coffee and I'll be over in a minute so we can talk."

She let herself back into the flat and grabbed her mobile from the bedroom.

"Who was it?" Rhys asked, following her in.

"It was no one important. Rhys, I'm sorry but something's come up and I've got to go back to work." She lied.

"Oh ok. Will I see you later tonight?" He asked.

"No, I think it's going to be another all-night-er. I'm really sorry." She sighed.

"No it's fine. You've got to go to work, I understand." He shrugged.

Gwen heard a tone of sadness in his voice as he left the room. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Quickly sneaking out of the flat again, she dialled the number of the local taxi firm. Owen had done as she'd asked and waited for her in the hallway outside her flat, leaning against the wall.

"How did you even get up here?" She asked as she waited for someone to pick up on the other end.

"Door was open." He replied.

She shook her head at him as she ordered his taxi.

Minutes later, they heard it arrive.

"Go get some coffee down you. I'll see you in a bit ok?" She smiled.

She bit her lip as she looked back at the door to her flat then turned back to give Owen a quick kiss. She watched him stumble down the hallway as he left to get in his taxi before sneaking back into her flat to change.

On her way over to Owen's, she dialled Jack's number.

"Hey Gwen." Jack answered. "I'm sorry, there's still no word from Owen. I can't -"

"Jack it's fine. I found him, he's alright. He's just got himself a bit pissed but he's fine." She told him.

"Oh thank God. Where was he?" He asked.

"He...turned up at my flat." She answered.

"He did? Why?" Jack asked her.

"I don't know." She lied. "He just turned up on my doorstep. He's gone home but I'm just going over to make sure he's ok."

"Ok good. Thanks for letting me know. I was really starting to panic." He admitted.

She said her goodbyes to Jack and felt her anger bubble up inside her again. Owen had worried them all sick while he was out getting pissed. He could have had the decency to answer their calls or at least text them to tell them to piss off, anything to let them know he was ok.

Back at his flat, Owen fumbled with the key in the lock as he let himself in. He headed straight for the kitchen and clicked the kettle on. Standing in the middle of the room, he held his face in his hands. The little girl's sobbing face filled his mind. Drowning his sorrows in alcohol hadn't worked, it had only made things worse.

The kettle boiled and he made himself a black coffee and set aside a cup for when Gwen arrived. He sipped his coffee, letting the hot liquid burn his throat. He could slowly feel himself sobering up a little.

A knock on the door indicated Gwen's arrival. He opened the door and she stormed in.

"Why the hell didn't you answer your phone when we tried to call you? We were worried sick about you. You could have at least answered to tell us to piss off or something." She shouted.

"I know, I just wanted to be left alone for a while. I'm sorry." He sighed.

She softened at his expression and walked over to him. Cupping his face in her hands, she forced him to look into her eyes.

"Owen, neither of those incidents were your fault. You did everything you could for that little girl's mum. Knowing you, you would have tried everything to save her. You did your best and that's all you could do. As for the little girl's dad, that was all of our fault. We should have been prepared for something like this and we weren't. Don't put the blame on yourself." Gwen told him.

Owen nodded slightly and looked away.

"Thanks." He whispered.

"It's ok. Just don't you ever worry us like that again ok? Talk to me next time. I'm always here when you need me, you know that." She reassured him.

"I know. I should have come to you but...I don't know." He shrugged.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tight. His arms wrapped around her waist and he buried his face in her hair. When they finally broke apart, they stared into each other's eyes. Their lips met in a sweet, slow kiss. It deepened as his fingers tangled in her hair. She dragged her tongue across his top lip as he backed her up against the nearest wall. He pushed her jacket off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. She moaned into the kiss as his hands fluttered over her stomach under her shirt. She broke away and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Owen...I don't think we should do this tonight. You're not thinking straight." She told him.

He sighed and rested his forehead against hers. He kept his grip on her hips as his eyes closed.

"Yeah, you're right." He mumbled. She smiled at him and went to leave the apartment. "Gwen, would you mind staying? I don't want to be alone tonight."

"Yeah of course. " She nodded. He looked awkwardly towards his bedroom. "It's ok, I'll sleep on the sofa."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's fine." She nodded.

He made her a drink and sat with her on the sofa. Gwen kicked off her boots and pulled her legs up. They curled up together and talked some more.

After draining their last drops, Gwen leant against Owen as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Thanks Gwen. For everything." He said.

"It's not a problem, you know that." She told him.

"I know but I really appreciate it." He said.

He kissed the top of her head as she snuggled into him.

Before they knew it, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Owen woke up the next morning, his neck aching from sleeping at a funny angle. It took him a few moments to realise where he was and why he was there. Looking down at the woman in his arms, he found her looking back up at him.

"Hey." She whispered, smiling up at him.

"Hey." He replied sleepily as he returned the smile.

He lifted her up and placed a kiss on her lips.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"A lot better now." He answered, knowing she was talking about last nights events.

"Good." She said and pounced on him.

She pinned him up against the back of the sofa and climbed onto his lap, crushing her lips onto his. His hands gripped her waist as she undid the buttons on his shirt with expert speed.

"I thought you didn't want to." He smirked.

"That was yesterday." She breathed.

Her hands slid over his chest and up to his shoulders, pushing the shirt from him. His hands found the bottom of her top as their lips met in a passionate kiss, tongues battling for dominance. Gwen shivered as he pulled the top over her head, trailing a finger up her spine as he did.

As she fumbled with the button on his jeans, she heard her phone ringing. She groaned and pulled away.

"Leave it." He told her, grabbing her arm to stop her from getting up.

"I can't." She sighed.

"It's Rhys." Owen mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Gwen nodded and went to grab her phone from her jacket which was still crumpled up on the floor. She turned her back to Owen and answered it.

"Hey sweetheart." She said.

"Hey, just wondering if you'd be coming home any time today." He said.

"Today? Well...I'll be home later." She answered.

Owen's arms wrapped around her waist from behind. She jumped slightly, not noticing he'd come up behind her. She relaxed into his arms and closed her eyes as he kissed down her neck.

"Stay here tonight. Please." He whispered.

Turning her head to look at him, she bit her lip and nodded.

"But I'm only coming to pick up a change of clothes. It's going to be another all-night-er I'm afraid." She told Rhys.

"Another one? I hardly get to see you these days." He argued.

"I know, I'm sorry." She sighed.

"I'll see you tomorrow then. I love you." He told her.

"I -" She couldn't bring herself to say it. The words sounded meaningless in her head. "I'll see you later." She said finally and put the phone down.

Sighing, she threw her phone back down on top of her coat. Owen turned her around in his arms to face him.

"Gwen, you know I love you too right?" He said.

"Of course I do. I love you too." She smiled.

"Then why are you still with him?" Owen asked.

"It's complicated. You know I want to be with you, it's just...listen, we'll be together soon. I promise." She told him.

"When? Why not now?" He asked.

"Soon...I just...need to sort things out with Rhys. I need to sit down and speak with him and sort things out properly." She sighed. "I owe him that much."

Owen sighed and nodded.

"You are staying tonight?" He asked.

"I said so didn't I." She smiled. Placing a gentle kiss on his lips, she realised that they were standing topless in the middle of the room. "We should get dressed. We need to get to the Hub." Grabbing her t-shirt and stuffing it back on, she went to leave the flat. "I'll be right back. I brought a change of clothes just in case but I've left them in my car."

While she was out, her phone started to ring again. Thinking it might be Jack, he picked it up to answer it. Rhys' name flashed on the screen and he thought about answering it. Oh he would love to see Rhys' face if he did. Screw it.

"Hello." He said down the phone.

"Hello? Who is this?" Rhys asked.

"Owen Harper, I'm a close friend and colleague of Gwen's." He answered.

"Oh...where's Gwen?" He demanded.

"She's just had to go and do something." Owen told him. He couldn't stop the smirk from spreading across his face. "Can I take a message?"

"Erm...yeah, just tell her I won't be home until later so I won't see her when she pops in later. I forgot to say a minute ago." Rhys said.

Owen could tell that he was annoyed at another man answering Gwen's phone.

At that moment, Gwen entered the flat again.

"I will do Rhys." Owen nodded and put the phone down.

Gwen stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes wide as she stared at Owen.

"What did you say to him?" She demanded. "What did he want?"

"He just wanted to let you know that he won't be home when you pop in later. Don't worry, I didn't tell him anything." He reassured her.

She watched him, looking for any signs of him lying. Finding none, she walked over and grabbed her phone from him.

"Next time, just let it ring." She mumbled.

"Gwen I'm sorry." He told her.

"I know. Come on, let's get ready." She said.

After arriving at the Hub, they prayed today would be a better day than yesterday. No such luck.

That night, a creature closely related to the Nostrovite, held Gwen tight to it's chest, it's arm around her neck. It was in the form of a tall, lean male and it's other hand had her arms trapped in a painful and surprisingly tight grasp behind her back. The rest of the team stood with their guns pointed at him.

She had slipped down a dark side street to follow it and hadn't noticed it creeping up behind her. He'd disarmed her with a powerful blow to the shoulder causing her hand to unclench and drop the gun to the floor. The rest of the team were alerted by her screams and had run to her rescue. It's claw had caught the side of her face and scratched down her cheek and part of her neck. The deep cut was oozing blood and tears of pain rolled down her face.

"Let her go." Jack ordered.

"Let me go and the girl goes free." He snarled.

"Sorry, no can do." Jack replied.

He tried to step towards the creature. It hissed at him and tightened it's grip around Gwen.

"Stay back." He warned.

Jack edged closer and the creature brought it's teeth to Gwen's neck.

"Jack." She cried as she felt it's teeth scrape her skin.

"Let her go." Owen shouted from behind Jack. His whole body shook with anger and a hint of fright as he watched it hurting her. Gwen's wide frightened eyes met Owen's as she sobbed. "Let her go."

"Owen, don't." She sobbed.

The creature twisted it's mouth into a cruel smile.

"How very sweet. Our very own love story. Ok then, let me go and I'll return your precious sweetheart without another scratch on her." He said.

"Jack, we have to let it go." Owen said turning to his Captain.

"We can't. Who knows what it'll do to an innocent civilian." Jack argued.

"Very well." The creature shrugged and yanked Gwen's arm up to his lips, sinking it's teeth into it.

She screamed in agony. Owen went to fire his gun but Jack knocked his arm away.

"You could hit her." He pointed out.

"No, Jack you're not doing this to me again. You're not going to stop me from saving her." Owen argued.

"I didn't say that. I just don't think firing a gun at that thing while he's got Gwen is a good idea." Jack explained.

The creature watched them amused. It clamped a hand over Gwen's mouth so she couldn't make a sound and slipped off down the street, dragging her with it.

"Jack." Tosh shouted.

She was ignored as Jack and Owen continued to argue.

"How the hell are we supposed to save her then?" Owen shouted.

"We'll think of something, we -"

"Jack, it's gone." Tosh shouted over him.

Owen and Jack turned to look where the creature once stood and froze. Looking down the street, they saw the silhouette of the creature disappearing around the corner. Owen shot off after it, Jack hot on his heels with Tosh and Ianto bringing up the rear. Ianto scooped up Gwen's gun on the way.

By the time they reached the corner, they'd disappeared into the maze of Cardiff's back streets.

"Shit." Owen growled.

"Tosh, any trace of that thing?" Jack asked.

Tosh consulted her hand held PDA.

A squeal of car tires was heard from the end of one of the streets before she managed to say anything.

"I'm guessing that's him." Ianto murmured.

"SUV. Now." Jack ordered. "Tosh, track that thing."

Tosh gave directions as Jack drove the SUV. Owen sat cursing loudly, shouting at Jack to go faster.

"It's heading towards the city centre. I don't...I don't understand...it's stopped in the middle of the city." Tosh told them.

Reaching the location, Owen jumped out of the SUV and looked around. A car was abandoned outside a tall office block. He slowly looked up at the tall building.

"Fuck. Please, not up there." He prayed.

"Oh God." Tosh gasped.

That was all the confirmation Owen needed. He bolted up the fire escape, aware of the others following him.

When Owen reached the top, the creature was waiting for them. Gwen was struggling to fight against unconsciousness. She'd received more deep scratches and bites when she'd tried to fight the thing off her and she'd lost a lot of blood.

"Please let her go." Owen begged.

"I told you, let me go and she goes free." The creature snarled.

"Ok, we'll let you go. Please just let Gwen go." He begged.

The creature started to loosen it's grip on Gwen.

Jack bounded onto the roof and pointed his gun at it. It growled and regained it's hold on her.

"You lied." It bellowed.

It dragged Gwen to the edge of the roof. The fright was enough to keep her awake and she screamed in terror.

"No." Owen bellowed.

"Gwen." Jack shouted.

She managed to loosen it's grip on her slightly. It was just enough to allow her to shove her elbow into it's stomach. Pain seared up her arm but she brought it forward to shove harder. He grunted and let go of her as he doubled up in pain. She staggered forward, coughing and spluttering and fell to the floor. Owen ran to her side as Jack fired his gun at the creature. It slumped to the ground, dead.

"Gwen." Owen whispered as he lay her head in his lap. "Stay with me darling."

"Always." She said, her voice barely a whisper.

She smiled weakly up at him before letting the darkness take over her.

Gwen woke up in one of the rooms in the Hub. One of her arms had been bandaged and when she lifted her other hand to her face, she felt a few stitches there. Looking through her blurry eyes, she noticed a few more bandages on the arm she'd just lifted. Her throat was dry and she desperately wanted a glass of water. She rolled onto her side and tried to pull herself up. All her strength had gone and she failed to even lift her head more than a few inches from the pillow. Instead, she rolled back onto her back and sighed.

The door opened and she looked over to see Owen walking towards her.

"Hey, you're awake." He smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"I could use a glass of water." She croaked.

He laughed and went to pour her a glass from the jug of water on the side. As he passed her the glass, he bent down to kiss her lips. He sat in the chair by her bed and watched her drink thirstily. Taking the empty glass from her, he held onto her hand.

"I was so scared." He told her. "I thought for one second I was going to lose you. Everyone knows, they kind of guessed when I was losing my mind trying to get to you."

She squeezed his hand and smiled at him.

"Couldn't get rid of me if you tried." She whispered.

She managed to swing her legs off the end of the bed and went to sit up.

"Hey, what are you doing? You need to rest, build your strength back up." Owen told her.

"Owen I'm fine." She sighed.

He looked at her for a few seconds before helping her up. She was still slightly shaky on her feet so he wrapped his arm around her waist to support her.

As they emerged into the main area, Tosh and Ianto looked up from where they were sitting at the computers.

"She's alive." Ianto grinned. "Cup of coffee?"

"That would be brilliant." She smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Tosh asked.

"A little tired and my arm's aching but I'm fine." She answered.

"Time for another dose of painkillers I think." Owen said.

"Another?" She frowned.

"Yeah, you were out of it when I gave you the first lot. I didn't want you waking up in pain." He explained.

Jack came out of his office as Owen guided Gwen down to the medical bay.

"How's the patient?" Jack asked.

"Fine." Owen answered simply.

Gwen sat on the table in the medical bay as she watched Owen getting the necessary equipment.

"What's up between you and Jack?" She asked.

"Nothing. I just...I just think if he hadn't shown up on that roof, you wouldn't have almost been thrown..." He couldn't finish that sentence, couldn't bare to think about it. "That alien was letting you go."

Gwen winced as Owen injected her arm with the painkillers. Ianto appeared with her coffee and smiled at her. She winked and smiled at him. As Owen threw the needle into the metal tray on the side, she put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure Jack meant well." She told him. "Forget about it. It's over now. I'm fine." Owen's gaze wandered over her wounds and then up to her eyes. "Well apart from the obvious."

He chuckled and shook his head.

"Yeah." He laughed. "Come on, it's late. You're coming back to mine and this time you're sleeping in my bed."

"Ok." She smiled. "Oh wait, I've got to go home and get my clothes for tomorrow."

"Don't worry about it. Jack's given you the day off tomorrow so you can chill out at mine. I'll give you something of mine to wear. I'm taking the day off tomorrow whether he likes it or not." Owen smirked.

"What about that thing?" She cringed.

"I did an autopsy on it. Jack made me." He said sourly.

"Jack said it was related to the Nostrovite. I'm not...it didn't..." She pointed to her stomach. "I'm not going to give birth to any alien babies am I?"

"No don't worry. From what I found when I cut that thing open, it doesn't pass it's eggs on in a bite. They do it the usual way. The way they're related is due to the proteus gland. It's the organ that enables them to shape shift. That and they also hunt humans. Good news is, this one won't be hurting anyone else and we've scanned the area and there aren't any more out there." He told her.

Gwen smiled at his technical side kicking in.

"Thank God for that." She sighed.

She drained the coffee from her cup and hopped down from the table. Owen caught her as she stumbled.

"Careful." He warned. "Right, we're going back to mine."

He helped her up to the main area.

As she said her goodbyes, Owen grabbed her jacket which she'd just realised had been taken off her.

"Owen let go." She sighed as he went to help her again. "I'm fine, I can walk. Stop fussing."

He held his hands up and watched anxiously as she walked slowly ahead of him.

When they reached his flat, he pointed to his bedroom.

"Bed. Now." He told her.

"Is that how you talk to all the women you've had here?" She smirked.

"Only ones that are seriously injured." He told her.

Rolling her eyes, she walked off towards his bedroom. She turned in the doorway.

"You coming?" She asked.

"Yep, just watching you go." He smirked, staring at her arse.

"Cheeky." She laughed.

"Oh yeah." He nodded.

"Hurry up and you'll get to see more of it." She grinned.

Owen ran over to her and lifted her off her feet. She squealed as he charged into the room and dropped her onto the bed. Pulling him down on top of her, she clamped her lips onto his and wrapped her legs around his waist.

"You ok to do this?" He breathed as he pulled away to look at her.

She huffed and pulled him back down, silencing his protests with her lips. Clothes were quickly shed and thrown to all corners of the room. Owen hovered over her, licking his lips as he looked down at her. Trailing kisses down her jaw line and neck, he heard her gasp as he reached her pulse point. His hands wandered over her thighs and he felt her heart rate increase under his lips. He trailed kisses down the rest of her body, revelling in the gasps and moans she made. Her hands locked in his hair as he pulled back up to her face. Tracing patterns on her inner thigh, he watched her chest rising and falling quickly. A moan of frustration would escape her lips every time he got close to where she wanted him and he moved his hand back to her thigh. He eventually gave her what she wanted. A triumphant smile spread across her face as she made a purr like sound. He kissed her over and over again as he brought her to the edge with his hand, her hips matching his rhythm. Just as he felt her about to tip over, he removed his hand and smirked down at her as she whimpered. She bucked her hips up to meet his and he groaned loudly. Pressing her hips back onto the bed, he teased her again, this time with his manhood. He entered her and started up a slow rhythm, gradually getting faster and faster. Her hips crashed into his as she sought her release, her legs winding around his waist. Again, when she came close to the edge, he slowed down and started the process again. He watched as _his_ Gwen threw her head back, eyes rolled back and dark locks spread out on _his_ pillow in _his_ bed. Feeling the need to let her know that she was his and his alone, he gripped her hips tight enough to leave a mark and slammed into her. Bright lights exploded in front of her eyes. Her back arched up off the bed, pressing her chest into him as she fell hard over the edge. Her legs clung tighter around his waist and she could feel her whole body trembling. Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes as she screamed his name. He loved the way his name sounded, tumbling out of her lips in her beautiful welsh accent. He came seconds after her, moaning her name, and fell on top of her, her legs falling back onto the bed.

She was still whispering his name over and over, eyes tightly closed as they lay catching their breaths. Hoisting himself up on his arms on either side of her head, he kissed away the tears and placed gentle kisses on her lips.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him, her eyes clouded with the after effects of her climax. Owen loved that look, knowing that he was the one that caused it. They stared at each other, still joined as one. She lifted a hand up to cup his face and ran a thumb over his cheek. Lifting her head up off the pillow, she captured his lips in a sweet kiss that lasted a lifetime. He rolled off her and onto his back, wrapping an arm around her and hugging her tight to his chest. Gwen placed kisses on his chest before snuggling into him.

They lay in silence, listening to the other's breathing, finding comfort in it.

She didn't care a couple of hours later when a dull ache started in her arm. Owen's hand ran up and down her spine and her eyes began to close. She fell asleep as he started to slow down and drift off himself.

Gwen woke up the next morning to find the bed empty, her thighs aching and her arm and cheek throbbing. Sitting up, she pulled the covers around her and listened to see if she could hear Owen.

"Owen." She called.

She heard his footsteps padding towards the bedroom and stop outside the door. He pushed it open and smiled at her. He was carrying two cups of steaming coffee and his medical bag slung over his shoulder. He'd put on a pair of boxers to walk around the flat in.

"Morning sleepy head." He smiled.

He handed her the cup and put his down on the table next to the bed. Sitting down next to her, he unzipped his bag and pulled out some fresh bandages and anti-septic wipes.

"Back to being the sick patient am I?" She smiled.

"I just want to check the wounds and put fresh bandages on." He told her. He gently lifted her free arm and unwrapped the bandages. She noticed a small patch of blood that had seeped through as he discarded it. Wiping the wounds with a wipe, he held her hand tight in his other hand. She hissed as it stung her. "Sorry."

"It's fine." She said, shaking her head.

He wrapped her arm in new bandages and kissed her.

"There's my brave girl." He smirked.

"Oi, don't patronize me." She grinned.

She swapped her cup to the other hand so he could tend to the less serious wounds on her other arm.

"I can safely say you're going to live Miss Cooper." He said.

Once he'd finished, he sat back with her, his arm around her waist. He ran a finger lightly over the stitches in her cheek.

"If you treat all your patients like you did me last night, I'll definitely come to see you more often for a quick check up." She smirked.

"Well only my best patients get that treatment. Seeing as you're the only one...you can see me whenever you like." He whispered, kissing along her jaw.

She giggled and leant across to put her cup with his. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him hard. He pulled her onto his lap and responded eagerly.

"Doctor Harper." She breathed, an eyebrow raised as she felt how eager he was.

After more special treatment, they decided it was time to get something to eat. Owen grabbed a shirt from his drawer and threw it to Gwen on the bed to put on. She slipped off the bed and put on the shirt. Owen smirked and whistled at her as she buttoned it up.

"Nice." He nodded.

She twirled around and laughed. Looking around, she sighed.

"Underwear." She said. Owen looked around the room and went over to pick up the pair he'd thrown across the room last night. "Clean underwear." She said as he held them out to her.

"I'll have to wash these for you. They'll be ready by tonight." He told her.

Scooping up the rest of her clothes, he took them out to be washed. She followed him and plonked herself down onto the sofa, tucking her legs up underneath her.

"I suppose I'll have to tell Rhys tonight." She sighed.

Owen sat next to her and took her hand in his.

"You don't have to do it now. Do it when you're ready. Take as long as you need. I'll be here waiting for you when you do." He told her.

"No it's better I tell him soon. I can't keep lying to him like this." She said. Then she looked down at herself and snorted. "How the hell do I explain all this?" She laughed, pointing to the bandages on her arms.

"And these." He smirked, lifting her shirt to show her the finger shaped bruises on her hips.

"Oh great, more bruises to add to the collection." She sighed. "What do I tell him?"

"You could always tell him the truth then retcon him." Owen shrugged.

"No if I did that he'd forget we've split up." She pointed out.

"You'll think of something." Owen said.

Taking a deep breath, she put her face in her hands and closed her eyes.

After a few seconds, she looked up at Owen and smiled.

"So what are we going to do today?" She asked.

"I have a few ideas." He said, pulling her legs out from underneath her.

She squealed as she fell back on the sofa and he lay on top of her.

"Again?" She giggled. "Owen Harper you're relentless."

"It's not my fault. You just had to go and look so damn good in my shirt." He argued. "Besides, we have the whole day off to do whatever we want. How often do we get that?"

"When you put it like that..." She grinned, wrapping an arm around his neck.

Looking into his eyes, she slowly undid the top few buttons of the shirt. His lips came crashing down onto hers and he tangled his fingers into her hair.

His phone started ringing somewhere in the distance. He tried to ignore it but it rang on persistently. Growling, he pulled himself up and looked around for his phone.

"Always happens at the wrong time." He mumbled. As he answered his phone, he missed Gwen's face twisting in pain. "Jack." He sighed as he answered it.

"Hey Owen, listen I'm just going to cut to the chase. After last night's news, I'm guessing Gwen didn't go home." Jack said.

"No she's here." Owen told him.

"How is she?" He asked.

"She's -" Owen turned to look at Gwen. He almost dropped his phone as he saw her lying on the sofa, body writhing in pain. "Oh my God, something's wrong."

"What is it? Owen what's happening?" Jack demanded as Owen ran over to her.

Kneeling on the floor beside her, he saw a thin sheen of sweat on her ghostly pale face. Her eyes were clamped shut and her breath coming out in sharp pants.

"I don't know. One minute she was fine and now she's – I'm bringing her to the Hub. I can't do anything here." He said quickly and hung up. "Gwen, can you hear me?" She turned her head in his direction but her eyes remained tightly closed. "Come on, talk to me. What's happening?" His heart was racing as he watched her thrash around in pain. "I'm taking you to the Hub ok. Listen, I'm just going to grab you some clothes, I'll be right back."

Luckily, there was still a set of Gwen's clothes in his room from the day before yesterday.

Quickly running to grab them, he listened to her screaming. He perched himself on the edge of the sofa and had to fight to hold her still so he could dress her.

Once she was dressed, he pulled on a pair of jeans and the shirt she'd been wearing, not wanting to waste more time fetching a new one. He closed his eyes at the warmth of it, Gwen's body heat still lingering on it.

Suddenly, the room fell silent and Gwen's thrashing stopped. Her body went limp on the sofa and he froze, staring wide-eyed at her. She was still breathing, he could tell by the slow rise and fall of her chest.

He snatched his car keys from the table and ran over to the window. He pointed the key at his car, pressed the button and jammed them into his pocket.

Lifting Gwen's body off the sofa, he carried her down to his car, fighting with both his front door and the car door. He lay her across the back seat and jumped into the front.

The car sped down the roads to the Hub, every speed limit broken but he'd worry about that some other time. Tears sprung in his eyes as he smelled Gwen's scent on his shirt.

Gwen began to stir in the back. He watched in the mirror as her eyes opened and she slowly sat up, frowning as she looked around at her surroundings.

"Where – why am I in a car?" She asked.

"Oh thank God. Gwen, are you ok?" Owen demanded.

She looked up at him in the drivers seat and her frown deepened.

"I'm fine. What's going on?" She asked.

"Don't you remember?" He frowned.

"Remember what? Owen stop pissing around and tell me what's going on." She ordered.

"Gwen, what exactly do you remember happening?" He asked.

"We were at your flat...and we were kissing on the sofa...and your phone rang..." She recalled.

"And then?" Owen urged her on.

"And...I woke up in here." She told him. "Why?"

"You were in pain, thrashing around and screaming in pain, and then you just...collapsed. I'm taking you to the Hub. We need to find out what happened. For all we know, whatever it is could still be affecting your body." He explained.

Gwen sat back in the seat, desperately trying to remember what had happened to her.

Slowly, it came back to her.

"Pain." She whispered. "Red hot pain, like fire burning through me. Everything was red."

Owen listened as she whispered to herself. Something about her still seemed wrong. Her face was still pure white, her eyes were different and she was shaking ever so slightly. She didn't notice, even when she lifted her hand to touch the bandages on her arm.

"Hurting?" He asked.

"Hmm? Erm...yeah, something like that." She murmured.

As he pulled into the car park, he could have sworn he saw a flash of red in her eyes.

When he jumped out, he held the back door open for her as she climbed out. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his chest. Placing a finger under her chin with his free hand, he lifted her face up and looked deep into her eyes.

"Tell me honestly, how are you feeling now?" He asked.

"I feel fine. Why shouldn't I?" She smiled, her gaze briefly flickering away from him. "I honestly don't think there's any need for these tests. Whatever happened, it's gone now."

"No, I still want to make sure." He told her, frowning slightly. "Just to be on the safe side."

"Ok, but I honestly don't think you'll find anything." She shrugged.

He looked at her for a few more seconds before letting her go. She walked off towards the tourist office entrance and he hung back for a few moments, watching her suspiciously.

Gwen strode into the main area of the Hub and waited for Owen to catch up with her.

"Gwen? Owen said...are you ok?" Jack asked as he came out of his office.

"I'm fine, he's just panicking over nothing." She shrugged.

Owen walked through the rolling door and over to them.

"Gwen, why don't you go and wait for me down in the autopsy bay. I just want to speak to Jack about something." He told her.

She rolled her eyes and turned on her heels, walking off into the autopsy room.

"That's not Gwen." Jack said as soon as she was out of earshot.

"Yeah, I don't think it is either. That creature last night, it must have done something to her. Survival instinct maybe. Maybe instead of passing it's eggs through a bite, it passes on a piece of itself." Owen suggested.

"What do you mean?" Jack frowned, folding his arms.

"It sensed we were looking for it, that it's life was in danger. It grabs the nearest human, Gwen, and passes a sort of poison into the blood through a bite. If it dies, it slowly takes over the body of the victim. The only catch is, it can't shape shift but at least it still survives." Owen explained.

"Very clever." A voice said. Jack and Owen turned towards it and saw Gwen standing there, her arms folded and smirking at them. "How long did it take you to work out?"

Jack drew his Webley from it's holster and pointed it at her. The alien inside Gwen just stared at him.

"Get out of her." He said, dangerously calm.

"I can't." It shrugged. "I'm stuck in here."

Jack pulled the catch on his gun.

"I'm warning you." He said.

"So shoot. You'll only kill her too." It turned to Owen. "Could you do that? Could you let him kill the woman you love?"

Owen glared at the creature, then turned to Jack.

"You can't Jack. You can't shoot." He said, his voice breaking.

This was not happening to him again. He was not watching another woman he'd fallen in love with be killed by a damn alien that had taken over her body.

Jack looked at Owen, then back at the alien disguised as Gwen. He saw a flicker of fright in it's eyes and knew that was Gwen he was seeing, that somehow she was still in there. He lowered his gun.

"Wise choice." The alien nodded.

"You, stay there. Owen, with me." Jack ordered. Jack marched into his office, Owen following behind him. As he closed the door, he sent a burning glare at the alien. "She's still in there." He told Owen, watching the alien through the window.

It held Gwen's hands out in front of it and examined them then ran them through her hair.

"What?" Owen demanded.

"Somehow, Gwen's survived and is tucked away still inside. I saw her." He told the younger man.

"How do we get her back? How do we get rid of that thing?" Owen demanded.

"If we talk to her, to the real Gwen, we can get her to remember who she really is. Maybe she can fight back and push it out of her." Jack suggested, finally turning to look at Owen.

"Let's do it." He said, his face set in a determined expression.

"We have to be quick though. I saw a fight going on in those eyes. The longer we take, the stronger it gets and the weaker the real Gwen gets. If we're not quick..." Jack turned to see Ianto conversing with what he thought was Gwen. "We'll lose her forever." Jack said.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Owen demanded, rushing out of the office.

Jack followed him and stood beside him as they faced the alien.

"Ianto, couldn't get us a cup of your finest could you?" Jack asked Ianto. Ianto nodded once with a smile and walked off. Jack turned to the alien. "Care to join us in the boardroom?"

"Don't mind if I do." It smiled.

Jack walked ahead and Owen waited for the alien to follow before following them himself.

"Take a seat." Jack said, patting the chair at the head of the table. She sat down, smirking at the two men in front of her. Jack sat on the table and looked directly into her eyes. "I remember when you first stumbled upon us, watching us over that car park wall."

"Excuse me?" The alien laughed.

"I wasn't talking to you." Jack snapped. His voice turned to a softer tone as he addressed Gwen. "You were so determined to find out more. You even broke through the amnesia pill. I have to say, it takes a strong person to fight through something like that." Jack saw another flicker of Gwen and the alien's smile fell a little. "I knew you belonged with us, in Torchwood. You changed us all. Reminded us of what it meant to be human, the effects our work had on the human race. Gwen Cooper's a fighter, but she also has a heart. A heart that cares for everyone she touches."

The smile had been completely wiped off of her face. She glared at Jack then turned to Owen as he stepped towards them. Her smirk reappeared as he stood by Jack.

"Oh what memories Gwen Cooper has of you." It grinned. "Some I'd like to experience myself."

"In your dreams." Owen said. He knelt down in front of the chair and placed his hands on the arm rests either side of her. Like Jack, he looked directly into her eyes. "Gwen, I love you so much. I don't say it very often but I do. I'm always scared you know, that one day you'll wake up and regret everything and sometimes I wonder if it's the reason you're still with Rhys. That you're already having doubts." The alien gasped as Gwen's hand lifted to cup Owen's face. It was obvious that it hadn't expected that to happen and that it was slowly losing control over Gwen. Sensing this, Owen grew more determined and placed his hand over hers, grasping it tight. "Come on Gwen, I know you can do it. Fight it Gwen. For me."

The alien roared with rage and shoved Owen out of the way. She bolted for the door but when she got halfway, she stopped in her tracks and turned around.

"What have you done?" It growled.

"You may have taken over Gwen Cooper's body, but you'll never take her mind." Jack told it.

Gwen's body began to shake as the alien screamed in rage. She threw her head back and continued to shake.

"No." It shouted before Gwen's body dropped to the floor unconscious.

Jack and Owen knelt down at her side. Jack checked her pulse and nodded to Owen.

"She's fine." He said.

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around her. She frowned as she sat up and looked between Jack and Owen.

"Ok, what just happened?" She asked.

"You did it. You got rid of it." Owen laughed.

He hugged her tight to his chest and kissed the top of her head.

"Got rid of what?" She frowned.

"That thing that was inside of you." Owen answered.

Gwen raised her eyebrow and looked between the two men questioningly.

"I think we should explain." Jack chuckled.

"I think you'd better." Gwen nodded as they helped her up. Sitting around the table, Jack and Owen explained everything that had happened starting with the events of the night before. At the end of it, Gwen sat back frowning. "It's weird. The last thing I remember is waking up at Owen's this morning and...well..."

Jack grinned as she blushed a deep shade of red.

"Oh I wonder why that's the thing you remember." He smirked. She glanced at Owen and smiled shyly. "It's a shame you don't remember Owen's little speech there. Almost moved me to tears. Never knew you could be so sweet."

It was Owen's turn to blush. He looked down at his and Gwen's joined hands.

"Yeah well..." He mumbled. "If you don't mind, I just want to run a quick blood test on Gwen. Make sure it's gone for good."

"Good idea." Jack nodded.

He watched the two of them leave for the autopsy room and smiled.

Gwen sat up on the autopsy table as Owen took a sample of her blood.

"I heard you." Gwen whispered. "I thought I'd imagined it, like I was in some weird dream, but when Jack said that, I knew I hadn't. I love you Owen. I'm not having doubts, it's just...every time I come close to telling Rhys, something happens here and I have to call him and say I won't be home. The next time I see him, he's got that sad look in his eyes and I just can't tell him. I promise you though, I will tell him tonight."

Owen placed Gwen's blood sample in a machine that would speed up the results then turned to Gwen. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her off the table into a sweet kiss. Her arms snaked around his neck and she sighed happily into the kiss. The Hub around them seemed to melt away as they lost themselves in each other.

The machine beeped, bringing them back to reality. They smiled at each other before Owen turned to check the test results.

"Good news, it's definitely gone. There are no traces of it left." He told her.

"That's a relief." She sighed.

Owen nodded and started to clear away his equipment.

"Well there goes my plans to have a day off." He mumbled. "Looks like I'm going to have to do another autopsy on our friend and find out if there's anything else we need to worry about."

"You do that, I'm going to pop home and talk to Rhys. I'll be back soon." She told him.

Just before she left, he pulled her into a quick kiss.

"Good luck." He said.

She rolled her eyes and left the Hub.

Owen went down to the morgue to send the body of the alien up. He was worrying about Gwen and found it hard to concentrate on the autopsy. She was injured enough and he didn't want her to get too stressed, it wouldn't be good for her health. He knew this was going to be hard for her too. Of course she still had feelings for Rhys, she'd been with him for years, you can't just turn feelings off after all that. He wished there was something he could do to make things easier for her but all he could do was be there for her afterwards.

She returned a few hours later, a confused expression on her face.

"Well...I wasn't expecting that." She said to herself.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Rhys...he was..." She frowned and shook her head. "Sorry, I just can't get my head around it."

"Get your head around what?" He frowned.

"I went home and I was all prepared with this speech to let him down gently and he came out of the bedroom. He was in his dressing gown, I thought he'd just had a shower or something but it turns out he was in bed...with Ruth from his office. He starts trying to explain but I just burst out laughing. He tells me it was a one night thing he hadn't even meant to happen. I told him it was fine and I told him that I'd been seeing you and it was over between me and him. He just stands there and then he confesses that it had been going on for a while. We ended up laughing about it all and then he said he'd have his stuff packed and he'd be out by tonight." She explained. "Oh and I also had a quick change of clothes while I was there."

"Oh...wow..." Owen said. He wrapped an arm around her waist and brushed a hair away from her face. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just a bit shocked that's all." She laughed. She placed her hands on his chest and started to play with the edges of his collar. "I should have known it was going to happen sooner or later."

"Aren't you even the least bit angry at him?" Owen asked.

"Not really, no. I guess that knowing he's going to be with someone that makes him happy and doesn't cancel plans on him all the time sort of cancels it out. I should have let him go sooner. At least it can be just us now." She said.

He nodded, smiling as he looked at the woman in his arms. Finally, she was all his.

"So how did you explain your injuries?" He asked curiously.

"I just told him I had an accident at work. I come home with so many cuts and bruises with this job, he's just learnt to accept it." She was silent for a few seconds before smiling at him. "Listen, we can still take our day off. Fancy going back to your place and ordering a pizza? I really fancy a pizza."

Owen grinned mischievously and scooped her up in his arms.

"I really fancy you." He told her.

"Put me down you silly sod." She giggled.

Kissing down her neck, he placed her feet back on the floor. Her eyes closed as he ran his hand back up her thigh and over her arse then rested on her hip. Resting his forehead against hers, he gently brushed a finger across her stomach just above the waistband of her jeans. Her lips searched for his but he stepped back, smirking. She opened her eyes and scowled.

"Come on, I'm in the mood for that pizza now." He said and ran up the stairs, dodging Gwen's slap.

She followed him up to the main area of the Hub. When she reached the workstations, she couldn't see him anywhere. She walked over to the steps leading up to the greenhouse and looked around, not noticing him sneaking up behind her. He grabbed her hips and she screamed, whipping around to see who it was.

"You arse. You complete and utter arse." She shouted.

This time he didn't manage to dodge out of the way of her fist and she hit him on the arm. He clutched his arm as he laughed at her.

"Oh that was so worth it." He grinned.

"Piss off." She mumbled, folding her arms across her chest. He stepped up to her and leant in to place a kiss on her lips. She turned her head away from him. "No, you've totally ruined the mood now."

"Gwen, I'm sorry. I was just messing around. Forgive me?" He asked as he unfolded her arms and threaded his fingers through hers. Her expression softened as she looked into his eyes. "Please?"

He gave her the big puppy dog eyes and she melted into the chocolate pools.

"Ok." She sighed, smiling as she kissed him.

A few weeks later, Gwen and Owen tumbled through the door to her flat in a tangle of limbs. Owen kicked the door shut behind him as Gwen led him into her bedroom, their lips attacking each other with fiery kisses. Gwen kicked off her shoes and pushed Owen's jacket off his shoulders to the floor. She felt the bed hit the back of her legs and fell back onto it, pulling Owen with her. Owen slowly removed her t-shirt and jeans, kissing every inch of skin he exposed. He pulled away and they looked at each other panting, their eyes dark with lust. He hooked his finger in the side of her pants as someone knocked on the front door.

"I'll get it." Owen sighed as he climbed off the bed.

"Get rid of them." Gwen told him. "Quickly."

Owen looked back at her over his shoulder hungrily. He managed to tear himself away and went to open the door.

As the door opened, he came face to face with Gwen's parents. They frowned at him and glanced at each other.

"Geraint Cooper, Gwen's father. I don't believe we've met. Are you a friend of Rhys'?" Geraint asked, holding out his hand.

"Erm..." Owen said.

Gwen lay impatiently on the bed. She couldn't hear who it was at the door but all she knew was that they were taking far too long. Underwear or not, she didn't care as she jumped off the bed and stormed into the hallway. She was going to get rid of them. She wrapped her arms around Owen's shoulders from behind and kissed down his neck.

"What's taking you so long?" She breathed. He tried to tell her but she ignored him and continued her assault on his neck, opening the top buttons of his shirt so she could run her hand underneath. "Listen, I'm sorry but do you mind pissing -" Gwen looked up and froze. Her parents stared wide-eyed at her, their mouths open in shock. "Shit." She squeaked and ran back into her bedroom.

Owen stood uncomfortably in the doorway, unsure of what to do.

"Erm...come in..." He said nervously, standing to the side as they stepped through the door. They were still staring at him in shock as he closed the door. "I'll...I'll be right back."

He quickly disappeared off into the bedroom. Gwen was sat on the edge of the bed, her face in her hands.

"Oh my God. I can't believe my parents saw me like that. God, that was so embarrassing. Kill me, kill me now." She said, rocking back and forth. "What are they going to think? I haven't even told them about me and Rhys yet. Why tonight? Why did they have to pick tonight to pay one of their surprise visits?"

"It wasn't that bad." Owen shrugged helplessly.

Gwen slowly lifted her head up to glare at him.

"I was half naked, all over you and I told them to piss off." She said.

"Yeah...there was that." He nodded.

She took a deep breath and stood up.

"I'm just going to get dressed and go out there and explain everything." She said simply, holding her head high. She pulled her clothes on and reached for the door handle. Her hand froze halfway and she turned to look at him. "I can't do this."

He stood beside her and took her hand in his.

"Yes, you can." He told her and opened the door.

She let him lead her out into the living room where her parents had sat down and were whispering to each other. They looked up at her and down at their joined hands. Her face flushed a deep shade of red and she squirmed under their gaze.

"Mum...dad...this is Owen." She said quietly. Mary lifted the corner of her mouth into a brief smile and nodded. "It would probably be a good idea if I explained what's going on."

Gwen told them everything, sparing them a few details. Her wounds had healed by then so she left out that little episode too.

Her parents looked at each other at the end, speechless.

"Well..." Mary whispered. "It's certainly a shock."

"I know I should have told you sooner, I just forgot...and I'm sorry you had to find out like that." She said, looking down at the floor in embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it, it was our fault for not calling." Mary said, waving her comment off.

"Cup of tea?" Gwen asked.

"Just a quick one duckling." Geraint nodded.

"A very quick one." Mary muttered to herself.

Gwen put on a smile and went to make drinks.

When they left, Gwen heaved a sigh of relief and sat down on the sofa.

"That was worse than the time I came home from school with a note from the headmaster saying I was suspended for showing indecent behaviour." She sighed.

"Indecent behaviour?" Owen laughed.

"I was...messing around with one of my old school boyfriends." She told him. "He caught him with his hand up my shirt."

"Gwen Cooper, you bad girl." Owen grinned. She couldn't help but smile at him before she remembered what had just happened. She sighed and put her face in her hands. He sat down next to her and started massaging her shoulders. "Coffee?"

"No, I need something stronger." She said and jumped up, almost running to the kitchen.

She rummaged through the cupboards and pulled out a bottle of whisky. She poured herself a large glass and downed it. Owen raised his eyebrow as she spluttered and then poured another glass. Just as she was about to drink it, he went over and took it from her.

"I think one's enough." He said. She tried to grab the glass from him but he pulled it out of her reach. From the slight pink tinge to her cheeks and the way she swayed just a little, told him it had already gone to her head. "This stuff's lethal and getting pissed on it is not a good idea. Trust me."

"Unlike you, Owen Harper, I know how to handle my alcohol." She argued.

"Really? Say the alphabet backwards." He said.

"Z...Z, Y..." She frowned in concentration. "Oh give me another one." She demanded.

"Ok, spell antidisestablishmentarianism." He smirked.

"A-N-T-I-D-I-S...S?" She huffed and folded her arms. "Give me another one."

"I think I rest my case." He sighed. She pouted as he poured the glass down the sink and put the lid back on the whisky. "I'll be right back, I'm just popping to the bathroom. No sneaking any more drinks. Better still."

He took the bottle with him as he left for the bathroom.

Gwen scowled at his back and waited for a few moments before turning back to the cupboards. She knew there was another bottle somewhere. She found it and quickly pulled the lid off. There was no time to grab another glass so she took a swig from the bottle.

A cough came from behind her and she spun around, sending herself extremely dizzy. Owen was watching her, arms folded. She smiled guiltily, like a child hoping to get away with what they'd been caught doing.

When she saw it wasn't going to work, she put the bottle down and walked over to him. She stumbled a few times before she reached him. Snaking her arms around his neck, she moved her lips inches from his.

"Kiss me." She whispered.

He reached up and pulled her arms from around him.

"Not when you're like this." He told her. She freed one of her hands and reached down to unzip his jeans. "Gwen..." She cocked her head to the side innocently as she put her hand down his trousers and cupped him. He hissed and tried to back away. "As...arousing as this is, I think you should stop. It would be much more enjoyable for the both of us if you weren't under the influence of alcohol." She backed him up against the wall and squeezed him tightly. "Oh what the hell?"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her into her bedroom.

An hour later, Gwen jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom. Owen heard her throwing up and the tap running in the sink as she rinsed her mouth.

She slowly walked back into the bedroom and leant against the wall in the doorway. Her face was pale and her eyes rimmed with dark circles. She shook slightly.

"You were right, I shouldn't have drank so much." She mumbled.

She pushed herself off the wall and joined him in bed. He wrapped his arms around her as she snuggled into him.

"Sometimes you have to learn the hard way." He sighed.

"Hmm." She nodded. Pulling herself up, she looked down at him and smiled. "I love you."

He pulled her down into a kiss.

"I love you too." He whispered. "My drunken angel."

"Shut up and come and hold my hair back while I throw up the last of this whisky." She said as she bolted back into the bathroom, hand clamped over her mouth.


End file.
